Scott Walker: Wisconsin Governor Leads In Iowa Polls, Can He Hold On Until February?

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has not yet declared his intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination, and yet, Walker already leads the polls in Iowa.

According to The Des Moines Register, Walker has been the front runner in the past five opinion polls and most recently, Walker led by seven percentage points. The Register also reports that Walker has a positive reputation among two-thirds of Iowans expected to caucus.

In seven months, Iowa will be the first state to hold a Republican candidate contest. The Iowa Caucuses are scheduled to be held on February 1, 2016, according to 2016 Iowa Caucus.

Walker first gained national attention when he took on the labor unions in Wisconsin — a move that angered many, but sparked the “I Stand With Scott Walker” campaign among Wisconsin Republicans.

“Walker’s popularity stems from his Midwestern background and his appeal to all elements of the state’s Republican base, from pragmatic establishment voters looking for a winner to the social and religious conservatives who play an influential role in the state’s politics.”

The same Reuters article went on to say that Walker’s biggest challenge will be transitioning from “big stage, multi-candidate events to the hand-to-hand combat” that will be required to win Iowa.

So far, the talk about Walker winning Iowa is all hypothetical, as Walker has yet to announce for the GOP race. On June 3, Scott Walker said he will announce after the Wisconsin budget has been passed. He has until June 30 to do that, according to Bloomberg. On Saturday, Walker reiterated that position, saying that he would make an announcement “probably soon after the end of this month.”

The same day, Walker participated in a charity motorcycle event in Boone, Iowa. At the event, sponsored by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Walker talked to the crowd about his positions on foreign policy — the Islamic State, in particular.

“It’s time in America that we start leading, not just here but around the world. We need a president who will stand up and tell the American people what may be hard to say: that this threat is not the threat that we faced in the Cold War, where containment’s enough. This is like a virus — and if we don’t take it out, we’re in trouble.”

Walker was one of seven Republican presidential candidates who participated in the charity activities, which included a 49-mile motorcycle ride and a pig roast. Other candidates participating included politicians Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, and Rick Perry of Texas. In addition, Dr. Ben Carson and CEO Carly Fiorina also attended the event.

As of right now, Walker leads the candidates above and all other Republican candidates in the Iowa polls. The question is: Can Scott Walker hold on?